Normally street children are shown in terms of the tragedy of their lives – which is true – but theres also another dimension: their wisdom, dignity and enormous capacity for survival. – Henning Mankell
Sweden is still a very peaceful country to live in. I think that people in Britain have created this mythology about Sweden, that its a perfect democratic society full of erotically charged girls. – Henning Mankell
I work in an old tradition that goes back to the ancient Greeks. You hold a mirror to crime to see whats happening in society. I could never write a crime story just for the sake of it, because I always want to talk about certain things in society. – Henning Mankell
I live with one foot in the sand and one in the snow. Theres European egocentricity, and the African opposite. I normally say that my African experience has made me a better European. – Henning Mankell
What differentiates us from animals is the fact that we can listen to other peoples dreams, fears, joys, sorrows, desires and defeats – and they in turn can listen to ours. – Henning Mankell
Many people say I smile more in Africa than in Sweden. – Henning Mankell
The wonderful Mozambican people have endured tremendous misery without losing their dignity and their positive outlook on life. Moreover, they have not lost their will to progress and develop. Mozambique is a country where the people never surrendered. – Henning Mankell
Many people make the mistake of confusing information with knowledge. They are not the same thing. Knowledge involves the interpretation of information. Knowledge involves listening. – Henning Mankell
I am not afraid of dying. I have lived longer than most people in the world. What scares me is to have a body that works but a brain that is waving goodbye. If that happens, I hope I die quickly. – Henning Mankell
